


Volunteer

by GojiHime_99



Category: Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Batman: Arkham Knight, Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dark, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Developing Relationship, Disturbing Fluff, Disturbing Themes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feelings Realization, Friendship/Love, Heartbreak, Heartbreaking, Hurt/Comfort, If you're a hardcore Cassie Cage fan you probably shouldn't read this fic, Implied emotional/psychological abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kind of a self-insert, Multi, Other, References to Depression, Requited Love, Revenge, Self-Esteem Issues, Suicide, That comes at a price, The second chapter is a rollercoaster of disturbing things and sweet fluff, Unrequited Love, You Have Been Warned, if you're a hardcore BlackCage fan and/or Cassie Cage fan then you probably should ignore this fic, it also says Erron Black/Reader but it's one-sided
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28503174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GojiHime_99/pseuds/GojiHime_99
Summary: Riddler may not seem like much of a threat compared to the other rogues of Gotham, but when you hit a nerve, he stops having fun and starts plotting revenge.
Relationships: Edward Nygma/Original Character(s), Edward Nygma/Original Female Character(s), Erron Black/Cassie Cage, Erron Black/Original Character(s), Erron Black/Original Female Character(s), Riddler/Original Female Character(s), The Riddler/Original Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13





	1. someone i know could love and save me from myself

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE: We now have a name for Riddler's lady friend! No more reader-insert because it just doesn't fit the kind of story this is since it's very close to a self-insert.
> 
> This is a drabble I’ve been sitting on for a little while, mostly because I wrote it while in a “mood” and thus it’s kind of personal. However, I do still like it and want to share it with anyone who may be interested. 
> 
> A warning right now: It's a negative take on BlackCage (Erron Black x Cassie Cage) and doesn’t paint Cassie Cage (namely her MK11 self) in the best light. If you are a huge fan of the pairing and/or the character, then I don't recommend you read this drabble. Seriously, you've been warned. If you do read it and aren't happy with what's said about BlackCage and Cassie Cage then I'm sorry but it's your own fault because I AM WARNING YOU NOW. Don't come to me all angry about my opinions on BlackCage and MK 11 Cassie Cage and try to defend them either. If you think you'd be upset by this drabble IN ANY SIGNIFICANT WAY because of my negative thoughts on the pairing and Cassie's MK11 self, then DON'T read it.
> 
> A second warning: The second chapter deals with suicide! DON'T READ IF YOU AREN'T COMFORTABLE WITH THAT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a lyric from one of Lady Gaga's unreleased songs, "Princess Die."

“I don’t know what I did wrong,” Sara said, sounding as defeated and drained as she looked. “I tried my best yet I still only managed to be in the friend zone. He said it’s not that I’m not good enough, but that he had liked her for a while and she finally said ‘yes’ to going out with him so…”

“What does this girl look like?” Edward asked, displeased with the situation.

“Hang on.”

Edward had to admit he wasn’t shocked by this news. From the start, he knew Erron Black was  _ that  _ type of guy, one of those dim-witted pretty boys who had no sense or reason. However, Edward didn’t say anything to Sara as she was an adult and could make decisions on her own – even if they were the wrong ones. Besides, she was so smitten by Erron that Edward suspected she wouldn’t have listened to or believed his warnings anyway.

She searched on her phone and found the (infamous) girl’s Instagram profile and then handed it to Edward. Looking through Cassie Cage’s photos, frowning, shaking his head, he found himself unimpressed. This was the woman that got Erron’s attention? Honestly? She was a spoiled, bratty, self-centered blonde with the IQ of a donut! 

Clearly.

Although seeing as how Erron’s IQ was clearly no higher than that of Cassie Cage, Edward figured birds of a feather flocked together…one dodo for another.

“Ugh, I’ve seen enough,” Edward said, handing Sara back her phone. “She’s a social media brat who has fluff for brains and probably uses her looks to get what she wants. There’s no way she’s actually an intelligent, fascinating person. Anyone who takes that many ridiculous selfies is, without a doubt, an idiot.”

Edward noticed Sara didn’t appear to be relieved by his words, so he quickly thought of something else to add, hoping it would provide some sort of window to clarity that she desperately needed for this situation.

“So, this Cassie fits society’s shallow and pointless standards of beauty,” Edward said. “She’s an absolute bore, I tell you! She’s got a pretty face and an attitude, probably only is successful because she’s relied on her parents for everything.”

Sara still looked upset, and maybe even more so.

_ Ok, Edward, think! _ thought the criminal genius, chewing on his lower lip as his anxiousness grew.  _ There’s got to be a way to get this through to her. This is a waste of her time! _

“I mean… _ I _ wouldn’t want to spend time with her,” Edward said, placing a hand on his chest. “I’d probably lose my mind after listening to whatever pointless drivel would inevitably spill forth from her mouth. As for her looks, well, let’s be realistic here: they won’t last, and then what? She’ll be stranded with her own deflated ego and nowhere to go.”

Edward could tell that Sara was nearly crying now much to his dismay, and she kept her head down to hide the tears gathering under her lashes. This was absurd, he thought. Why did she feel so hurt by a guy who was a complete moron and a girl who looked like every other blonde girl out there? It was a waste of time, energy, thought, and emotion to dwell on such people. Why couldn’t she see that?

“I understand what you said,” Sara said, sniffling. “I agree with a lot of it but…it still hurts, maybe more so now that I realize how much of a bimbo Cassie is. And Erron chose her? I’m not blonde…is that what he wants?” She gripped her phone tightly. “Do I need to start acting like an obnoxious brat, taking selfies and posting them online for attention?” The grip was now threatening to crack the protective outer case of the phone. “I did all I could to be a good friend to him, was there for him, listened to him, treated him well….and yet, I’m still not good enough to earn his…his love? He waited a long time for Cassie…well, I’ve waited even longer to stop being rejected because I’m not good enough!”

Not wanting her to injure herself, Edward reached out and placed a hand over Sara’s, watching her fingers loosen around her phone.

“I don’t feel good enough,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “I’ve never been good enough. I don’t know why…I don’t know…I try and I try but it’s never enough…”

Edward watched Sara sob quietly to herself, unsure of what to do but his internal panic was growing worse. This wasn’t exactly his area of expertise, and he still thought she was wasting energy on two idiots. However, there was nothing he could do about that, not right now, not when she was still overwhelmed by emotion.

So, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling a little awkward by making such a sentimental gesture, but it was all he could think of at the time.

“It’s going to be alright,” Edward told Sara. “I promise.”

_ A month later…. _

Edward was typing away at his computer as Sara sat at a table nearby working on one of her custom dolls. With her headphones on, she drowned out the world around her, entirely focused on painting the face of the doll. Because of this, she didn’t notice him get up from his chair to “greet” the ignorant Neanderthal standing outside under the security camera mounted on top of the main door.

Edward opened the door to see a worried Erron Black standing outside.

“What do you want?” Edward asked in an exasperated tone. 

“Have you heard from Sara ?” Erron asked. “She hasn’t responded to my texts or calls, and it’s really botherin’ me. I wanna know if she’s a’right.”

Edward crossed his arms, sighing in annoyance.

“Yes, I have seen her and spoken to her,” Edward said. “And it’s her right to ignore you if she chooses to.”

“I…I know that but…” Erron rubbed the back of his neck. “I…I want to speak to her…there’s somethin’ I got to say. I…I just…I need to see her and talk to her, face to face.”

“Haven’t you done enough?” Edward demanded. “No, you can’t speak to her. You’ve done enough damage to her psychological state with your puny, insignificant brain!”

Erron looked taken aback but said nothing as guilt consumed him further. As much as he hated Edward’s callous words, the cowboy wasn’t in the mood to pick a fight.

“Now, run along, Little Cowboy,” Edward said, placing his hand on the edge of the door. “Go back to your vapid Selfie Queen where you belong.”

With that, Edward slammed the door in Erron’s face, smirking triumphantly. Why that idiot thought he could just walk on back with his tail between his legs and beg for forgiveness, Edward had no idea. Then again the other man was too selfish to realize the error of his ways, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise he tried that.

As Edward made his way back to his computer, he suddenly got an idea; a beautiful, incredible, ingenious,  _ evil  _ idea. Taking his phone out of his pants pocket, he searched for and dialed the number he had in mind for this situation.

“Hello, Crane,” Edward said, smiling wickedly to himself.

“Ah, Edward,” said Jonathan, who was fully expecting to be hit with Edward’s ego. “I am surprised to hear from you. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I’ve got something, or rather  _ someone _ for you.”

“Oh?”

“You said you were working on a new variation of that fear toxin of yours, am I correct?”

“Yes, and it’s nearly ready. Perhaps just another day more and it will be finished.”

“Great! Then I have a candidate you can test it on.”

“Oh, yes, do tell. I am always looking for ‘volunteers,’ as you know.”

Edward gave Erron’s name and description to Jonathan, his smile turning into a malicious grin as he did so. As much as Edward wanted to teach the dumb cowboy a lesson himself, he also thought it wasn’t worth the effort and Scarecrow loved having ‘volunteers’ for his silly little gas…

“I will have my men apprehend him right away,” said Jonathan.

“Just don’t leave any permanent damage,” Edward said. “Otherwise…have at it.”

“I would never do such a terrible thing,” Jonathan said, chuckling darkly. “I take good care of all of my ‘volunteers.’”

“Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“Before I go, may I ask why you are recommending this man to me? Is he one of your henchmen? Did he steal from you? Fail to complete a job?”

Now, this caught Edward off guard. How was he going to explain this? He couldn’t even fully explain his feelings about this – about  **_her_ ** – to himself. Yet, he didn’t want to deny Jonathan an answer, either. It was a perfectly valid, logical, albeit nosey question.

“This man, he…” Edward began, his words catching in his throat for a moment. “He, um…he…damaged something…something very valuable to me. And…and as much as I want to discipline him myself, he is too far beneath me for me to waste any of my precious time dealing with him further.”

“Ah, I see,” said Jonathan. “I must be going now, but thank you, Edward. You are too generous.”

With that, Edward hung up and made his way over to Sara, lightly tapping her shoulder. Turning around, she smiled up at him and removed her headphones.

“Hi, Eddie,” she said. “Did you need something?”

“No, no,” he said with a charming smile. “I just wanted to get a closer look at what you’re working on. It looks impressive so far.”

“Really?” she looked delighted, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. “It’s not done yet but…thank you! You have given me a little confidence boost.”

“And you deserve it,” Edward said, patting her shoulder. “I look forward to the final result.”

Back at his desk, Edward continued working on code for upgrades to the Riddlerbots, humming to himself contentedly. Maybe what he did was a bit much, but the cowboy needed to be put in his place. Men like Erron – people like Erron – always did. Besides, Sara would forget about the fool in time. Edward was certain of this because that was the nature of things: you forget about what no longer has any meaning or purpose in your life, and seeing as how she wasn’t at all interested in conversing with Erron anymore…well, it didn’t take a genius to figure out the conclusion.

[ “Just dance,” ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2Abk1jAONjw%26ab_channel%3DLadyGagaVEVO&t=ZGY3NGM3NTI0OTgyNjNkYWRiZmI0NzUwMDNjOWZkYWM1NjI2ZDg4YixIM1lYeEZMSQ%3D%3D&b=t%3A1rRS9UA8U4Vevyk_er1eUQ&p=https%3A%2F%2Fplasticnightmaredoll.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F638387629563461632%2Fso-this-is-a-drabble-ive-been-sitting-on-for-a&m=0&ts=1609591271) she sang softly to herself. “Gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm…”

Edward nodded to himself upon hearing her, smiling.

_ Yes, it’s going to be ok, My Dear, _ he thought.  _ It’s all going to be ok… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can see Arkham Knight Riddler being the way he behaves in this drabble if he actually cared for someone. They’d be special to him for a lot of reasons and he wouldn’t want them to be hurt. 
> 
> And we know Riddler isn’t above getting revenge, and this is personal. 
> 
> Yes, I know Batman pissing him off and humiliating him over and over is personal, but I think this sort of situation would be even heavier for AK Riddler for the reasons I already mentioned. Some idiot dared to make his one and only friend, the only person who has been both kind and respectful towards him despite his flaws, feel awful about themselves and for no good reason? 
> 
> A guy who reminds Eddie of the bullies he had to deal with growing up (I do think AK Riddler was bullied growing up – it seems to be implied, and with how poor his social skills are, I think he would have sadly been a target for bullies in school)? 
> 
> A guy who is so beneath both Eddie and his dear friend, that said guy doesn’t deserve to walk away from this without paying a price?
> 
> In Eddie’s mind, he’s getting revenge for his only friend, the only person he actually cares for, and he’s getting it in a very fucked up kind of way by getting Scarecrow involved.


	2. my heart would break without you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward Nigma may have regrets about his decision to send Scarecrow after Erron Black....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER REFERS TO SUICIDE SO DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT.
> 
> Also, this chapter is...extremely dark and depressing in a lot of ways in general, and a bit disturbing. It has fluff for sure, but the price of his happiness is HIGH. We are dealing with two very neurotic people, though, with Riddler and his lady friend. They react emotionally rather than rationally.
> 
> This chapter really doesn't portray Cassie Cage in the best light, so you have been warned about that as well.

“It seems your ‘volunteer’ had some childhood trauma he never properly dealt with,” said Jonathan. “Problematic parents.”

“Oh, poor, poor Cowman,” Edward said, rolling his eyes. “I hope Mr. Rooty-Tooty-Point-and-Shooty doesn’t think he’s deserving of some sort of reward for that.”

“He doesn’t. Or, rather, he can’t.”

“Ah...wait, he _can’t?_ ”

“Yes, that is what I also wanted to tell you: He’s dead.”

Edward blinked.

“Dead?” said Edward. “Are...are you certain?”

“Well, shooting oneself in the head will do that. I know you said not to cause any permanent damage, but some individuals simply cannot handle the hallucinations, usually due to unresolved psychological distress. That _is_ the purpose of the fear toxin, though: terrify and terrorize those exposed to it.”

Now, Edward wasn’t upset that Erron Black was dead. Far from it. Erron embodied a lot of things he hated, reminding him of some of the very handsome and cruel (but also very dim-witted) bullies from his school days.. Hell, the idiot cowboy was even _more_ of a moron than Batman! At least the Bat had a decent level of intelligence (despite being a cheater). Erron Black most likely couldn’t solve ANY of Edward’s riddles or puzzles -- even the easiest ones that _children_ could understand!

However, Edward was worried -- _scared_ \-- that this was going too far, actually killing the other man. He expected an extreme psychological breakdown, yes, maybe some uncontrolled sobbing and frequent night terrors, but not _death_. What if Sara -- his _only_ friend -- found out and became distraught? Even if she didn’t know he was behind it, she would still be devastated, and...he couldn’t live with that. He’d never forgive himself for causing her more pain than the cowboy had.

“It is what it is,” Edward said after taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. “Can’t be helped. Good work.”

“Hmm...happy to help, Edward,” said Scarecrow.

After hanging up, Edward started to panic. What had he done?! This was supposed to be a torturous experience for Erron, something emotionally and mentally daunting, possibly physically exhausting and traumatizing, but not _fatal_. If Sara found out about this and lost it, what was he going to do? This was something that no amount of logic and skill could fix! 

_I just won’t say a word,_ Edward decided, nodding to himself. _It’s not like Erron Black has anyone who will come looking for him. Except maybe that Cassie girl...I’ll just have to...figure out how to deal with her. Hopefully, she’s as stupid as she looks and doesn’t even think to come searching around here for her precious ‘Cowman.’ Regardless, she’s not a threat even as a military brat. Neither are her parents. Overrated idiots, I’m sure._

Truth be told, Edward didn’t care about Cassie Cage, her parents, or the Special Forces. He didn’t care what anyone thought of his decision to send Erron Black to meet a dark fate. All he cared about was how this would all impact Sara’s life. If Cassie came snooping around and attempted to give her a hard time, well, that blonde brat would quickly learn to keep her nose out of other people’s business. 

Especially _Riddler’s_ business.

Well, it was Sara’s business, truly, but Edward couldn’t deny that her concerns could easily be his own concerns because he didn’t want her to be miserable. She’d dealt with enough emotional and mental pain in her life, some of it he could even relate to. So, if there was some way to prevent any further damage to her psyche, then he’d make it happen, whatever the cost. 

Deep down, Edward knew what this all meant but, consciously, he wasn’t ready to face that overwhelming set of emotions. It was so foreign to him to feel like this that it was almost _frightening_. Choosing to explore these feelings would put so much at risk because if things didn’t work out...what would he do? What would his life even _be?_ He couldn’t return to how things were before when he was all alone. He just... _couldn’t_. With love comes the risk of loss--terrifying levels of _emotional_ loss, and he was much more fragile psychologically than even he realized.

The next time he saw Sara was the day after talking with Crane about the deadly results of his experimentation on Erron Black. She was happy and (very) chatty, meaning she had no idea what had happened to her former friend. Edward was relieved but at the same time, he felt like he was walking on eggshells. The dark secret he harbored loomed like a monstrous shadow as he waited for Sara to come to him in tears about Erron Black’s death...and possibly with hatred in her heart towards Edward for being the one responsible. Yes, it was Crane who experimented on Erron, but that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for _Edward_. 

Edward couldn’t sleep most nights as his mind wandered into nightmarish scenarios about Sara confronting him while crying her eyes out in despair over her former friend’s death. Edward could picture her shouting how much she hated him and wished she had never met him. He imagined her calling him all kinds of terrible things, things that he _deserved_ to be called after what he had done. Numerous times he almost broke down whenever he thought about her leaving him, telling him she never wanted to see or hear from him again, that anything she had felt for him had died. 

It was a challenge to keep his feelings -- his guilt and fear -- hidden from her but he had to. He had to or else he could lose what meant most to him. She was all he had because he could build more robots, design more gadgets, acquire more money, develop new puzzles, create new riddles...but if she was gone from his life, there was little, if anything, he could do. If she ended up loathing him, if she chose to never forgive him for his actions, his incredible genius wouldn’t be able to fix that.

Luckily for him, though, fate was on his side.

A few months had passed since Erron’s death, and no one had come looking for him. That was all fine and dandy, in Edward’s mind, but then Sara brought up the cowboy one day….

Edward was spending time with her at her place, and after lunch, Sara told him she needed to speak to him about something quite serious, something she had been meaning to discuss with him for a long time. Almost instantly he was afraid that she had learned something about Erron, so he sat next to her on the couch with his heart racing in his chest as his apprehension threatened to drown him.

“Edward, I wanted to thank you,” Sara began, and Edward was confused.

“For what?” he asked.

“For being so...kind to me. You see, when I...when I broke down to you about Erron, I didn’t expect you to be so supportive. I figured you’d...I don’t know...give me a hard time for feeling so emotional over some guy. Maybe call me, ‘stupid’ or something. Or just...stop talking to me.”

“Why would I stop talking to you?”

“Well...maybe because you’d...think I’m too weak and whiny?”

“Weak and…? No! I never thought that! What happened to you...what happened to you wasn’t right. It was unfair! You put in so much effort to be a friend to that idiot cowboy, and the thanks you get is him putting you on the sidelines so he could be with some blonde brat? Appalling, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Neanderthal like him. You are better off _not_ being attached to such a pitifully ignorant cowman!”

“I am so glad you didn’t turn me away. Your...your friendship means so much to me.” Sara wiped a few tears from her eyes as she smiled. “Honestly, spending time with you, talking with you, has made things easier.”

“And that’s what I hoped for! You’re much too smart to waste time and energy on that idiot or the Selfie Queen.”

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. And that’s something else I wanted to mention: I haven’t heard from Erron in months. He stopped his annoying texts and calls, finally leaving me the hell alone. I’m sure he’s too busy with his Selfie Princess to care anymore.” 

Sara rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and frowning.

“I wasted so much time on him,” she admitted. “Men like him...men like him just think of themselves and they always go after the hot babes with fluff for brains and bitchy attitudes. I don’t care what happens to him or Cassie Cage. I don’t care if they get married or if they break up. I don’t even care if he gets killed on some stupid fucking job for some shitty employer in Outworld. As long as he keeps away from me, I’m fine.”

Edward expected some apathy from Sara regarding Erron but it appeared that she loathed the man (or was close to it).

As she _should_.

“Men never seem to notice me,” Sara said, now despondent. “It’s like I’m invisible. Or...I’m just not...that desirable. I try and I try and _I try_...but they just...don’t care. I either get ignored, used, or friend-zoned. It’s always the same…”

“Well, _I_ noticed you,” Edward said, and when he realized what had just come out of his mouth, he started turning pink. “Um, I mean...I, uh…”

“Yes, you did,” Sara said, smiling gently and wiping her nose on her sleeve. “And I’m grateful. You’re the exception to the rule, the one who broke the ‘curse.’ Finally...”

“Well, of course, I’m an exception!” Edward said with a chuckle, trying to cheer her up in some way. “What else would you expect from Gotham’s One True Genius?”

Sara laughed at that, and Edward felt his heart melt. When she turned to face him more directly, she reached out and took his hand in hers, the softness of her skin making his almost tingle. How long had it been since he’d touched someone else? Or, more accurately, touched someone in a way that wasn’t full of anger or fear?

“Wh-What is it?” he asked, blushing a deep red now. 

Sara giggled and leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek, making him gasp. She...she had just…?

“What was that for?” he asked, his heart racing in his chest out of excitement now.

“You’re cute,” Sara replied with a shrug, that adorable little smile still on her lips.

“Oh, um...thank you. And you’re, uh, you’re...cute...too.”

Edward meant it, he honestly did, but he wasn’t sure if he sounded convincing enough. When he looked to Sara and noticed _she_ was starting to blush now, he felt a little triumphant.

Sara caught Edward off guard when she cuddled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder and sighing. At first, he just sat there, stunned by her behavior, his face red as a tomato and his hands shaking. Then, he slowly put an arm around her, holding her that much closer, and he started to relax. Her warmth, her scent...both were calming to him, and he even placed a kiss on the top of her head without a second thought.

_My favorite little enigma,_ he thought with a pleased hum. _My Darling Devinette._

Oh, he liked the sound of that: Darling Devinette. Maybe he could get away with calling Sara that? Maybe she’d blush? Maybe she’d giggle? Now he was curious, seeing it as some sort of fun little puzzle -- and he _loved_ puzzles. He’d have to try it out with her sometime, he thought, smiling to himself.

While their time together that day didn’t lead to anything romantic or sexual, the seed had been planted for Edward and Sara’s relationship to progress to another level. The journey to confessing their feelings, though, would be a reward in and of itself. After much struggling throughout their lives, after feeling alone for so long, after not fitting in with any crowd, they were finding peace with each other. 

However, there was a sad truth that neither of them -- or anyone -- would ever know. You see, happiness can come at a price, and the price of Sara and Edward’s happiness was high. 

Erron had come searching for Sara that infamous day, having broken up with Cassie Cage not even twenty-four hours before, to tell her how wrong he’d been. It had been a mistake to pursue Cassie, the typical “tough woman” he usually went for despite how things turned sour each and every single time. He didn’t love Cassie, didn’t see her as anything but a brat and someone who reminded him of his overbearing mother. All along he had what he wanted -- _needed_ \-- right in front of him in Sara, but he had been too ignorant and out of touch with his own emotions to realize it sooner. Keeping people at a distance was how he had lived for most of his life, and he hadn’t associated with many people who were worth trusting, giving him no reason to even consider changing his ways. 

But Erron had found a friend in Sara, a true friend, possibly his only _real_ friend, and over time, he had fallen for her, but he was too dumb to understand how he was feeling until it was too late, until he unintentionally _hurt_ her. It was one of the worst decisions he’d ever made, and he’d made some pretty awful ones. He had cursed himself for being such an idiot, for not paying more attention to his emotions and choosing to focus on cheap thrills instead. 

Pursuing Cassie was the _easy_ choice because he didn’t feel anything special for her. She was just some random blonde with a gun and a bad attitude -- familiar territory for him. Perhaps he had been scared to pursue Sara, someone he loved, to avoid the risk of being heartbroken? Him, scared? It was a crazy thought but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility, not with how overwhelmed he felt when he finally let himself feel what he had been avoiding.

Erron never got the chance to tell Sara the truth, never got to apologize, never got to explain why Cassie didn’t mean anything to him. He never got to tell her how wrong he was, how much he missed her, how much it killed him that he broke her heart. 

And he never would now that he had died. 

While everyone else -- Riddler, Sara, Scarecrow, and even Cassie -- carried on with their lives without a care in the world, Erron was quickly forgotten. His former employer suspected he had jumped ship, searching for a “better” offer somewhere else (wouldn’t be the first time). Cassie didn’t have an interest in seeing or speaking to him again after their disaster of a relationship crashed and burned. Scarecrow just viewed him as another victim, another guinea pig for his experiments with his fear toxin. Riddler and Sara had become closer because of Erron’s poor decision and lack of emotional connection to his own heart. With Erron now gone for good, the two had a chance to be happy for once in their lives with each other. 

A tragic end for one person was somehow a stepping stone for two people to deepen the connection they shared, and how would anyone -- if anyone ever learned the truth -- react to such a thing? As poetic as it would be to say it was love blossoming from death, that would only be a sugar-coated _lie_. It was love between two socially awkward, psychologically fragile, emotionally damaged, somewhat selfish people blossoming from someone’s untimely demise as an unwilling victim in a horrible experiment before he could right his wrongs.

It was difficult to see anything positive in that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending that's entirely fucked up in so many ways. I'm glad I got this out of my system and glad Eddie and Sara are developing their relationship further, but Erron had to die for that to happen. It's messed up, I know, but you say the tags, the warnings...this wasn't meant to be a cute, fun little story.
> 
> The title of this chapter is a lyric from Lady Gaga's song, "Dope," from her ARTPOP album.


End file.
